Wavelength division multiplexed light source monolithically integrated on a silicon photonics platform

We demonstrate monolithic integration of a wavelength division multiplexed light source for silicon photonics by a cascade of erbium-doped aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃:Er³⁺) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers. Four DFB lasers with uniformly spaced emission wavelengths are cascaded in a series to simultaneously operate with no additional tuning required. A total output power of -10.9  dBm is obtained from the four DFBs with an average side mode suppression ratio of 38.1±2.5  dB. We characterize the temperature-dependent wavelength shift of the cascaded DFBs and observe a uniform dλ/dT of 0.02 nm/°C across all four lasers.